The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1887-05-25
AT THE CAPITAL.
The High Tax Liquor Biii Passed by tho
Housc-Of Interest to All Laborers-Try-
ing tn Lower Railroad Passenger Rates
The Appropriation BiIIs-Notes.

|
ing to Lower Railroad Passenger Rates
The Appropriation Biils-Notes.
LANSING, May IS, 1887.
The main and by far the most important
business of the week has been the continu-
alton Of the discussion on the pending
| liquor bill by the House. According to
previous arrangement, the considera-
ton of the bill was to be the
special order for each and every afternoon
until completed. On account of the small
number present its consideration was put
over until Tuesday, and then three half
| days were added 10 the two or three il
had received two weeks ago, and late
on the afternoon of the 18th the
final vote was reached and the bill squeezed
through and was recorded passed, yeas 53,
nays 30. Representatives Bardwell and
w. w. Williams had their votes recorded
| for the bill. while in fact neither was pres
ent or had been for a half hour before the
vote was taken. Objection was made at
the time the vote was declared against such
a plain violation of the Constitution, but
the objection was not then considered by
| the House, and the names were left stand
| ing on the record for the credit of the bill.
| Next day the matter was brought up in the
! form of protest, numerously signed by
the members. against allowing the record
| to stand as made, and resolution, offered
by Representative Croker, requiring the
! correction of the record, was adopted, yeas
40, nays 10. This will probably end a
practice that has been gradually growing
in both houses for years, but which ought
never to have been tolerated in a single
! instance.
The bill as finally passed is substantially
the Bates nigh tax bill, the first section of
which we gave in our last, and which at
one time stood such an apparent proba-
bility of being Knocked ont by the substi-
tute of Mr.. Mccormick, that left the tax
as under the old law, but retained more or
less of the stringent provisions of the Bates
bill. The low-tax advocates tried in every
| possible way to secure the adoption of
some amendment that should help the
! liquor and beer men out of paying $500
and $500 for what they now pay $500 and
! $500, but it couldn't be done, and at the
fourth trial, just before the final roll call,
| it failed by vote of yeas SO. nays IA
! long ways short of the necessary two thirds
! required TO amend bill in the House on
| third reading.
While the bill passed the House by the
bare majority required to pass it (after
counting out the two who wanted to vote
! but didn't, ii is believed that it will pass
the Senate by good fair majority, and
that too without any very material amend
ments being made to it. Should the Sen
ate decide To make any amendments of
importance, it would no doubt result in a
disagreement that would call for a commit
tee of conference and create a iangle that
would last nearly OF quite to the end of the
! session..
GOOD LABOR BILL.
The Governor last week approved SEN
| l.. L Ill liz
for labor preferred claims in case of the
failure of firms or corporations. This is
most valuable law, and one that will prove
boon TO the laboring class. The Senator
cites an instance of the failure of the
Newaygo Manufacturing Company, where
large force of men are swindled out of
their wages due for the past six months,
! but which, had this law taken effect few
weeks earlier, they could have collected.
One strange circumstance IN connection
with the bill is the fact that it is the first
bill of any length or importance to pass
both houses this session without the change
of word or syllable. This proves the
Senator to be good lawyer and capable
of putting his thoughts on paper in good
! and grammatical shape. He is a valuable
and careful legislator as well.
RAILROAD PASSENGER FARES
have been the text in both houses for at
least one day of the past week. There are
wide differences as TO where 10 fix the rates
and on what basis to do il, and several
bills that propose to do one or both. 1t is
quite certain that the rates will be some
what lowered, but they will not be placed.
as low as two cents per mile for all por-
tons of the State, as some are clamoring
for. The rate is more likely to be fixed at
q cents for the Lower Peninsula, and 3
cents for the Upper. Senator w. j. Bah
cocks bill proposes to make sliding scale
according TO the gross earnings of the
roads, but the expense of operating roads
is so different that the fairer way would be
TO base it on the net earnings.
THE APPROPRIATION BILLS
are being crowded to the front as rapidly
as possible, and within the next two weeks
they will all have been passed-or at least
most of all that are likely to be at this ses-
sion,
NOTES.
The proposed Coldwater school investi-
cation was up in one form or another
on two or three different occasions last
week, but was each time promptly voted
down.
Representative Cross bill for the regula-
ton of mutual insurance companies
was partly considered by the House last
week and will be further considered this
week. 1t has the support of the Commits
sioner of Insurance, and is likely to pass.
OBSERVER.